Last year was cooler than average, with the rainiest August on record, the government’s German Weather Service said Dec. 29. Germans are also downing less beer as the nation grows older and younger people prefer other drinks, Huhnholz said.

Germany’s more than 1,300 breweries sold 2.7 percent fewer mixed drinks in 2010, the statistics office said. The data don’t include non-alcoholic beer or beer imported from outside the European Union.